A one day exhibition is taking place this Monday in Edinburgh, giving the public the chance to engage with Scotland’s cultural and historical heritage. The exhibition, entitled ‘My Home, My Place, My Scotland’, will showcase exhibits from The National Trust, Edinburgh World Heritage, Historic Scotland, The Heritage Lottery Fund and Architecture and Design Scotland and will bring Scotland’s oldest known representation of a human form, the Orkney Venus, to the capital.

The event, initiated by the minister of culture for Scotland Fiona Hyslop, is free and will offer a range of activities and exhibitions. The star of the exhibition will be the Orkney Venus, which Historic Scotland calls “one of the most significant finds in Scottish archaeology”. The figure, which was found last summer on the island of Westray, has already been seen by over 100000 people. Iona Matheson from Historic Scotland said: “[The exhibition] covers the whole spectrum of activities; we’ve got live stonemasonry demonstrations happening in the courtyard of the [Roxburghe] hotel, [as well as] costumed performers: we’ve got redcoats from the jacobite exhibition at the Scottish parliament there, and there will also be junior guides in costumes giving a presentation of the kind of work they’ve done.”

Matheson added: “The key thing for the minister was [to create] an opportunity to target people in Scotland and make them connect with their culture.”

Besides showcasing Scotland’s heritage, the exhibition will focus on the economic value it holds for Scotland, and give the public the opportunity to see all the developments over the last few years across the historical and cultural sector. When asked if the Scottish public knows enough about its cultural heritage, Matheson replies: “It probably varies from community to community. I think they do appreciate it, but I think sometimes they are not aware of the whole breadth of activities that’s out there for them to be enjoyed in front of their doorstep.” My Home, My Place, My Scotland will not only offer a range of activities for the whole family, it will also give the public the opportunity to see ‘behind the scenes’ of historical and cultural preservation.